The Best Homemade Bread Recipes from the Experts

What better way is there to spend a day than making a hearty, wholesome loaf of bread in the warmth of your own kitchen?

After all, not only is making your own bread a great way to make sure there are no hidden ingredients in your loaf, it’s therapeutic too. Repetitive actions like kneading are an ideal way to relieve stress, making the work you put into making your bread just as valuable as the end result.

If a gluten, wheat, yeast, dairy or bread intolerance means you usually steer well clear of bread, then there’s still no need to miss out on the kneading. We’ve put together a few of our favourite free-from and gluten free bread recipes from the experts, from everyday sandwich loaves to exotic naans.

Free-From Oat Bread

First up is this great recipe for Gluten Free Oat Bread from Kate over at The Gluten Free Alchemist. Kate says that this loaf “is the result of a lot of experimentation and an absolute determination to make a truly good loaf. It is soft, fluffy and just like bread should be….perfect for sandwiches, toast or simply slathered in butter, this is simply the best gluten free bread I have ever eaten!”

Ingredients

Makes 2 loaves

100g brown rice flour

40g glutinous rice flour (don’t let the name fool you – this contains no gluten!)

160g gluten free oat flour

50g potato starch flour

60g tapioca flour

1 tablespoon xanthan gum

1½ teaspoons modified tapioca starch

1½ teaspoons fine sea salt

1 tbsp. & 1 tsp caster sugar

14g easy bake yeast

1½ teaspoons lemon juice

400ml tepid water

3 large eggs

4 tbsp. dried milk powder

4 tbsp. sunflower oil

Milk (for the glaze)

Gluten free oats, to garnish

Method

1) Line two loaf tins with baking paper, or lightly grease with sunflower oil.

2) To make the oat flour, simply place the oats in a food processor and pulse until fine, around 20 seconds (make sure to use oats that are certified gluten free!).

3) In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, yeast, lemon juice, and water. Set aside, and leave to froth for around 10 minutes.

5) Beat together eggs, milk powder and oil until well mixed, and then add to the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

6) Add the yeast and water mixture to the other ingredients, and stir very thoroughly for a few minutes until sticky and elastic. You can use a mixer with a dough hook for this, if you have one.

7) Spoon the dough into the two loaf tins (they should be about 2/3rds full), brush lightly with milk and cover with the remaining oats, then cover with cling film and set aside to rise for 45 minutes. While the dough rises, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

8) When the dough has risen, bake for around 30 minutes, until golden, and crisp. If a skewer comes out clean, the loaves are baked through.

9) Turn out onto a wire rack, and leave to cool before eating.

Gluten Free Naan Bread

After being disappointed with a number of gluten free products, Erika at A Little Insanity “decided to start from scratch and began adapting regular recipes to be gluten free”. Erika profiles these recipes, like the below Gluten Free Naan Bread, in the hope that they’ll “help others in their journey to better health, and be enjoyed by all”.

The result of one of these adaptations is this Gluten Free Naan Bread, which looks soft, doughy, and thick – everything that a Naan bread should be. If you’re a beginner to baking free-from bread and want to try out an easy fool proof recipe, then this could very well be it.

Ingredients

Makes 8 generous Naans. Erika makes her own Gluten Free flour mix (which you can get the recipe for here); you could always substitute for a shop bought mix, but the end result may differ slightly.

235ml warm water (+2 tbsp.)

2 tbsp. honey

2 ½ tsps. dry active yeast

360g gluten free flour mix

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tsp cider vinegar

Corn flour, for rolling

Optional – For basting

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

½ tsp onion powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1) Stir together warm water and honey in a bowl, and add the yeast. Stir again, and leave to bubble for around 10 minutes.

2) In a separate bowl, mix together the gluten free flour mix, baking powder, and salt.

3) When the yeast has proved, add in the dry ingredients, alongside the cider vinegar and 1tbsp of olive oil. Then, mix together briskly for around 2 minutes (if you have a stand mixer, this will come in handy).

4) When mixed, scrape the dough from the sides of the bowl with a spatula and form into a ball. Coat with the remaining 1 tbsp. of olive oil.

5) Cover with cling film, and set the dough aside to prove for around 1 hr, or until doubled in size.

6) When the dough has risen, cut into 8 evenly sized balls on surface lightly coated with the corn flour (this prevents sticking).

7) Using your hands, flatten out each dough ball into a thick disk, using more corn flour to prevent sticking if necessary.

8) In batches, place the dough into a preheated non-stick or cast iron frying pan on top of a stove. Cook each for around 2-5 minutes, flipping once so they’re evenly browned.

9) If serving straight away, pop the naans on a heated plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel to keep warm. Erika says these are ideal served straight away with “fresh hummus, shredded lemon and herb chicken, grilled onions and fresh greens”.

10) Optional – If you’re basting the naans, simply heat the garlic in the oil until aromatic, then take off the heat add the onion powder, salt, and pepper. Baste each naan with this oil generously –this gives the naans a great flavour, as well as helping to keep them moist.

Paleo Sweet Potato Bread

This next bread is moist, filling, and low in calories; the perfect loaf for a tea-time treat. The sweet potatoes bring a naturally sweet note to the bread, not to mention a big hit of vitamin A rich beta-carotene. Plus, with only 6 ingredients and no gluten, wheat or yeast in sight, this is one of the easiest free-from breads out there.

Ingredients

Enough for 1 loaf

400g sweet potato, steamed then pureed/mashed

4 large eggs

50g coconut oil/coconut butter

1tsp baking powder

300g almonds, ground

Method

1) Preheat oven to 140 degrees Celsius, and line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper.

2) Place the eggs, coconut oil/butter, and sweet potato in a food processor, and blitz until smooth and well incorporated. Transfer into a mixing bowl.

3) Add all dry ingredients to the sweet potato mixture, and mix well.

4) Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin, and bake for around 1 hour 15 minutes. When cooked, leave to cool for around an hour before slicing.

Gluten Free, Yeast & Dairy Free Seed Loaf

This dense seeded bread doesn’t have much in common with the fluffy loaves we’re often more familiar with, but once you’ve given it a try there’s no turning back. Filled with seeds and nuts, this bread is a great way to pack in those Omega-3s and good fats. Try topped with smoked salmon and avocado for a guilt-free Scandi inspired snack.

Ingredients

Makes 1 loaf

105g flax seeds

35g chia seeds

60g millet seeds

145g sunflower seeds, toasted

195g gluten free oats

60g buckwheat oats, toasted

100g sliced almonds, toasted

2 tbsp. honey

45g coconut oil, melted

650ml water

2tsp salt

Method

1) Line a medium sized loaf tin with greaseproof paper.

2) Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

3) Add the honey, coconut oil and water to the bowl, and stir until all ingredients are well combined.

4) Turn out the mixture into the lined tin, and smooth down the top with damp fingers. Cover, and put aside at room temperature for around 2 hours.

5) Meanwhile, preheat an oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

6) After 2 hours, place the loaf tin into the oven and bake for around 1 ½ hours, until browned and fully cooked through (a skewer should come out of the centre clean).

7) Let the bread cool in the tin for at least two hours before turning out. Then, just slice, and enjoy!

So, whether you’re a newcomer to baking or a 10 in Paul Hollywood’s eyes, we hope these recipes have inspired you to get kneading this November.

Think there’s something in your loaf that’s not agreeing with you? Take a look at our post on bread intolerance, and try out our Food&DrinkScan to see if a food intolerance might be the trigger.

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